Hazardous/harmful drinking among college students is increasingly becoming a global health concern. Previous studies have mostly paid more attention to the prevalence and risk factors of alcohol use disorder based on the public health approach, and less is understood about psychological mechanisms and protective factors of problem drinking…

Despite more than one-third of college students reporting alcohol misuse, few seek treatment. National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) was initiated to promote treatment seeking, yet most attendees do not meet criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD), and are not provided a treatment referral. Among attendees that are referred, few report intent to…

Because of their demographics, university counseling centers have an opportunity to reach both adult children of alcoholics and adult children of parents with mental illness who are at risk for poor psychosocial outcomes. This article presents a group intervention targeting these students. The authors describe the development and implementation of…

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the goal of screening in student health or other college settings is to reduce alcohol-related harm. NIAAA points out that identifying those students at greatest risk for alcohol problems is the first step in prevention. Colleges and universities have used a number of…

Objective: To assess the use of alcohol screening tools across US colleges. Participants: Directors of health services at 333 four-year colleges. Methods: An online survey was conducted regarding the use of alcohol screening tools. Schools reporting use of formal tools were further described in terms of 4 tools (AUDIT, CUGE, CAPS, and RAPS) that…

In 2002 the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) issued a groundbreaking report, "A Call to Action: Changing the Culture of Drinking at U.S. Colleges." This report was developed by the NIAAA-supported Task Force on College Drinking after three years of intensive discussions. It described new understanding of dangerous…

Alcohol problems on campuses cannot be solved with simple solutions, such as an alcohol awareness campaign. Instead, dangerous college drinking can be prevented with an array of protective measures that deal with alcohol availability, enforcement of existing laws and rules, and changes in how alcohol is promoted, sold and served. Many people,…

This study examined executive functioning in college aged adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs; n = 84) and non-ACOAs (188). We examined whether characteristics of the family environment and family responsibility in one's family of origin were associated with executive functioning above the contribution of ACOA status. ACOAs reported more…

Abstract Objective: The authors evaluated the efficacy of the 2002 college-based National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) by determining: (1) the demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants that were screened and (2) the degree to which those scoring at hazardous drinking levels received clinical intervention or were referred for…

Examined characteristics of problem drinking exhibited by college students (N=1,097), focusing on circumstances of the drinking act and personal and social characteristics of problem behavior. Findings suggest that drinking problems among college students are of sufficient degrees to warrant prevention and intervention strategies generally called…

It should be possible for colleges to modify the campus environment to make alcohol and drug abuse less prevalent, and at the same time provide services to student abusers who need help. Colleges must come up with individual policies that are right for the students, the institution, and society. (MLW)

Although most institutions have had to deal with alcohol-related problems, many higher education leaders are unfamiliar with successful responses--and especially with proactive strategies. Few trustees and senior administrators have found a successful formula for dealing with alcohol on campus, and there are many reasons why. This article aims to…

The articles in this special issue explore the connections between the dual disabilities of alcohol abuse and physical impairment, and reflect progress made in exploring the causes and treatments of alcohol abuse among the physically impaired. Selected articles include: "Results of a Model Intervention Program for Physically Impaired…

The authors evaluated a protocol to screen and provide brief interventions for alcohol problems to college students treated at a university hospital emergency department (ED). Of 2,372 drinkers they approached, 87% gave informed consent. Of those, 54% screened positive for alcohol problems (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score [less…

The goal of this curriculum is to help all health care professionals -- physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, health educators, counselors, psychologists, and others who work with college students -- identify and treat students who are at-risk or are having alcohol-related problems. The clinical methods…